What is Halo?
Let’s be honest - you all know what Halo is. But, I said I’d put some effort in so here goes:
History
Halo is an almost 2 decade old multimedia science fiction universe/franchise - originally created by Bungie and now managed by 343 industries - it spans (as of August 2020):
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13 video games
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30 novels/short stories
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9 comics/graphic novels
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2 live action web series
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3 alternate reality games
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A storied history of competitive esports tournaments
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A bunch of animated shorts
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Tons of art and lore books
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A podcast (hunt the truth is amazing)
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More collectables than you can count.
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And a whole bunch of other stuff which I can’t be bothered to list here
More details about all that stuff and many links can be found in this handy wikipedia page: List of Halo media - Wikipedia
Halo is not dead though* - there is more to come!
Halo Infinite
Halo Infinite is the next mainline FPS title to be released by 343. It will launch Fall 2021 for the Xbox Series S|X, Xbox One, PC, and xCloud. Halo Infinite is being created using the brand spanking new Slipspace engine.
Sporting a new art style inspired by classic Halo, it will once again star the Master Chief as he battles an army of Craigs known as the Banished (and other mysterious enemies) with the help of his new companion Brohammer. Set on Zeta Halo, the campaign will bring about some major structural changes from previous Halo titles including:
- Open world elements
- Upgradable equipment.
- Grapple hooks.
- Depressed Brute enemies who are just looking for someone to love.
- Mysterious teleporting cloud formations.
Besides that we will getting:
- A free to multiplayer suite which will support 120 fps on next gen consoles.
- A new and improved Forge with undo/redo. (that’ll please Sik)
- Two player splitscreen across campaign and multiplayer!
Here are some links to stuff (will be updated as more info comes along):
The Master Chief Collection
Yup, it’s still alive. Six years after that abysmal first release on the Xbox One we’re getting more updates than ever! Halo 3 just released on PC with ODST flighting starting soon, we’ll be getting cross play between PC and consoles later this year and Halo CE got weapon and Warthog skins! It’s a damn good time to be a classic Halo fan.
Handy links:
Halo: Shadows of Reach
Halo: Shadows of Reach is the 31st Halo Novel and 4th in the Master Chief Stories series written by Troy Denning. It’ll be releasing on the 20th of October, 2020 and will bridge the gap between Halo 5 and Infinite.
Here’s the plot summary:
October 2559. It has been a year since the renegade artificial intelligence Cortana issued a galaxy-wide ultimatum, subjecting many worlds to martial law under the indomitable grip of her Forerunner weapons. Outside her view, the members of Blue Team—John-117, the Master Chief; Frederic-104; Kelly-087; and Linda-058—are assigned from the UNSC Infinity to make a covert insertion onto the ravaged planet Reach.
Their former home and training ground—and the site of humanity’s most cataclysmic military defeat near the end of the Covenant War—Reach still hides myriad secrets after all these years. Blue Team’s mission is to penetrate the rubble-filled depths of CASTLE Base and recover top-secret assets locked away in Dr. Catherine Halsey’s abandoned laboratory—assets which may prove to be humanity’s last hope against Cortana.
But Reach has been invaded by a powerful and ruthless alien faction, who have their own reasons for being there. Establishing themselves as a vicious occupying force on the devastated planet, this enemy will soon transform Blue Team’s simple retrieval operation into a full-blown crisis. And with the fate of the galaxy hanging in the balance, mission failure is not an option….
Halo: The Television Series
That’s right - Halo is getting a TV show! Maybe… possibly…
Originally starting development in 2013 and slated to release in 2015, the series has seen two public delays, three different directors and likely a whole bunch of changes behind the scenes. It is now slated to release in 2021 - a whole 6 years after the original date.
What do we know about the current iteration of the show?
- Showtime and Steven Spielburg’s Amblin Entertainment are involved.
- Returning characters will include the Master Chief, Halsey, Cortana, Soren-006 and Admiral Parangosky.
- It will be directed by Otto Bathurst.
- It will be “incredibly respectful of the canon”
Will it actually release? Who knows! This is the first time we’ve had some concrete details on the show though so it’s certainly possible - hopefully COVID hasn’t screwed things up too much.
Handy links:
What is this thread?
This is the place to discuss anything and everything about all the stuff I just talked about. Lore, multiplayer, books, esports, Halo Infinite speculation, the reasons why motion tracker sucks and should be struck from the face of the earth - if it’s related to Halo, it belongs in here - go nuts!
*It’s just missing in action (I’m so sorry)
It’s been a month… DLC will be nice, but it’s not like we’ve been waiting very long.